As the festive season approaches, it’s time to think about Christmas gift-giving.

Whether you’re a massive gift-giver or just prefer to give your closest ones a special something, Wymondham is a great place for gift shopping. With a range of small businesses, you’ll be sure to find something that suits. I also think walking around a historic market town can be a much more Christmassy experience than just going to a shopping centre. For your consideration this month, here are my top picks for great places to find Christmas gifts in Wymondham.

For those with a sweet tooth, Yum Yum’s sweet shop, just opposite the green, is the place to be. Selling various sweets and confectionery, it’s the perfect place to get that vital Christmas chocolate. They also have an incredible range of festive-themed items like tree-shaped chocolate and sugared almonds. Gifting sweets is also a fun and often affordable way to pass on a delicious gift - and they also offer gift-wrapping, so you have just a little bit less to do over this busy period.

If there’s a furry or otherwise animal friend in your life, Leeder’s Animal Supplies is an amazing spot to find that something special: coats to keep your pet warm this winter, toys and tasty treats. There’s also an opportunity for your four-legged friend to visit with Santa Paws himself in his grotto.

Now, turning a page to something that I think is an amazing gift - a good book. You can pick up many new reads at Kett’s Books opposite the Market Cross. Aside from some great books, they also have a lovely range of Christmas cards. If they don’t have the book you want in store, they can order it in for you and from my experience, it’s very speedy. If you’re not a reader but are buying for your bookworm friend instead, the staff are always on hand to give you some great recommendations.

Somewhere else that’s great to find books is our various charity shops. Not only is it often an affordable option, I also think a charity shop is a great place to shop for a gift basket. Picking up a nice woolly jumper, a book, and some cute bric-a-brac is an easy one-stop way to create a great gifting experience.

A place that is less obvious to grab a Christmas gift is the Wymondham Arts Centre. They hold various exhibitions and are a perfect opportunity to get your hands on some original local art, whether that be paintings, patchwork, bags, jewellery, and so much more. It’s a great feeling to pass on something one of a kind, especially when you know you’re supporting an artist directly.

So that’s just some of my picks for this edition, as ever, there are so many other places in Wymondham to grab amazing Christmas gifts. But I must narrow it down for the sake of trees, if not your attention.

This will, unfortunately, be my last contribution to the Wymondham magazine for a while due to other opportunities coming up (Team Wymondham Magazine always!). So I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all my readers, even if this is the first Vic’s Picks you’ve ever read or if you’ve been a fan since the first one. I thoroughly recommend that any budding writers with ideas reach out to the magazine. I hope I’ve been able to give you some ideas on finding those all-important Christmas gifts, or even just reminded you to plan your trip into town to get started on your festive shopping.